Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Leather-bound Classics) Leather Bound – 9 Sept. 2015

The Arthurian legend is a very fascinating part of mythology. We don't actually know how much of it is actually myth and if any of it is real. It's some true old fashioned story telling and this version was an interesting way to go about reading it.The experience was one of the most unique reading experiences I've had reading a book. This version that I bought was the Knickerbocker Classics edition. A beautiful looking book with a gorgeous outer hard case, some lovely illustrations and other features. The text is that of William Caxton, which was first published in 1485. The original material was written Thomas Malory, supposedly when he was in jail.I no doubt could have found a more modern edition, with more up to date spelling, grammar etc. But I didn't want that and was looking for a more authentic take. That is something I definitely got out of this book and to describe my opinions on it is quite difficult. What I mean by that is that well, I didn't find the book difficult to understand. Even if it reads like a drunken loon lying in the street corner re-telling a story to any passer by who'd listen. There were a lot of terms, phrases etc that I found alien to me. But it was easy to understand them after a quick definition search and the the context in which they were used through out the book.It was the way it was laid out that got me. The chapters (books or whatever they're called) are organised into large walls of text. What is in these walls of text is easy to understand but my eyes struggled to focus on such a mass of words. There are no paragraphs or structure to the text and it's all clumped together into one big mess. It's this that I found was truly hard to focus on. At times it gave me eye strain making it hard to follow my progress and which line I was on. That is the part I felt was over whelming. I had to take a break over the winter whilst I was in the middle of the book. Eye strain is one thing (an excuse to have a nice cup of tea) and I can easily take my time with it, but I found it even more difficult to keep track of my progress when distracted by sniffles, coughs, headaches etc.The story itself, I thought it was utterly fantastic. The characters were all very well detailed and there were so many. I loved the fact that they developed slowly over time and the more you read the book, the more personal it became with the likes of Tristram and Lancelot etc. It also made it more tragic when the stories came to a close and we learn the fates of our gallant knights. Despite the strange way it was written, there's a lot of information to take in and it painted a wonderful picture in my mind. One that I really can't see me forgetting. I could mention some of the tales that I enjoyed the most, but there are so many.It's hard to recommend this book to people. The story itself is fantastic and I don't think it's hard to understand (as mentioned above). But the way it is laid out might be a bit intimidating and I can fully understand it. But why I'd recommend, it's simply because this is one of the most important stories of our land. Things like this need to be taught in school, in my opinion. It needs to be read by people to understand cultural references going back hundreds of years. It's very important to our part of the world and needs to be treated as such. I would definitely recommend reading it one "book" or chapter at a time, or whatever stops you feeling over whelmed like I did. But I also recommend making the effort in general. It's a piece of history, a piece of culture and one that should be in all our collections.

These books look really good. I have a few of them now. They feel and look much more expensive than they are. I read on my kindle but want a good looking bookshelf too however these books are well made and not just for display.

lovely edition, nice hardback, gold pages, lovely pictures spread throughout the book, written in full 'olde worlde' text. starting off with a negative:the 'olde worlde' text is rather dense and difficult to read - unless you are an expert olde worlde text you will, at times, have to re-read and guess the meaning of certain passages. it's not impossible, but it just takes effort. some words i just have to gloss over, and generally go for the rough impression.however, that said - once you accept this approach, then the book begins to open up and share its secrets, and you begin to be rewarded. perhaps my initial mistake was to begin at page 1, and try to read chronologically through (as i would normally) but that hasn't worked for me. instead, i am now occaisioanlly taking the book, chosing a random 'book' (there are nearly 800 pages containing 21 books, and simply reading one particular thread out of many. and i am finding that i like it very much. probably this book will take me a couple of years to read, as i dip in and dip out. but i think its worthwhile as i begin to uncover the secrets of King Arthur and the world(e) of the Knights of the Round Table.

This book is absolutely stunning. The book is very well made and the quality of the paper is good. They feature illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley which it says in the introduction that the was a late Victorian artist and this was his first commissioned works he did. The introduction talks about the early history of king Arthur and Celtic folklore when the Roman Empire left as the empire fell which lead to the dark ages with any history documents being written which leads to the myth of King Authur.The book is split into twenty one books with small chapters which makes it easier for me to read as I can not read for a long period of time. It also has a page marker where you can save your place in the book and it is blue and soft to touch. I really like this book as it looks like a meadevil manuscript and on the spine it has those ridges to give it a magical look. The cover is really well designed as the back as well with gold guilding. I am not sure if it is real gold leaf as I am not a expert on that but it gives it character. The title "Le Morte d'Arthur" is a shorted from the original title "The whole book of King Arthur and his noble knights of the round table" if you are just wondering why it is in French. As is say again a well made book and stands out on my bookshelf and I hope on yours it would do too.

As other reviewers have noted this is a beautifully presented book. However, be warned that if you are seeking Aubrey Beardsley's 'illustrations and ornaments' this volume has none of the chapter headings and little of the feel of the Dent original. Good for Mallory but the jury is out on the Beardsley

Stands as an iconic and influential work in English literature, preserving and popularizing the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Compiled and written by Sir Thomas Malory in the 15th century, this compilation of Arthurian tales remains a cornerstone of Arthurian literature.

Quality item. A great read and looks good on the bookshelf.